title: Obesity as a barrier to living kidney donation: a center-based analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is a major epidemic and may present a significant barrier to living kidney donation. The purpose of our study was to determine the frequency of obesity as an exclusion factor and assess how often these donors lose weight and donate.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single center, retrospective analysis of 104 potential living kidney donors between 2008 and 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 104 donors, 19 (18%) had a normal body mass index (BMI) of <25. Eighty-five of the 104 (82%) donors spanned the overweight to morbidly obese classifications. Thirty-eight (37%) were overweight (BMI 25-29.9). Twenty-four (23%) were categorized as class I obesity (BMI 30-34.9), 17 (16%) as class II obesity (BMI 35-39.9), and six (6%) as class III obesity (BMI >40). There were a total of 23 donors (22%) who were considered moderately and morbidly obese (BMI >35). Of these, only three (13%) succeeded at losing weight and donating.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obesity may be a frequent barrier to living kidney donation, directly leading to exclusion as a potential kidney donor in about one in five instances. Successful weight loss leading to donation appears to be infrequent, suggesting need to address obesity in the donor population.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, North Shore-LIJ Health System, Great Neck, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Mala
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sachdeva
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sunday
authors.forename: Ezra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Israel
authors.forename: Jeny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Varghese
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.forename: Madhu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bhaskaran
authors.forename: Ernesto P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Molmenti
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mattana
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D046148:Donor Selection; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement
keywords: donor; kidney; living; obesity; transplantation